A DRUGS ring that modelled itself on a legitimate business operated by offering staff monthly wages, £10k bonuses and accommodation incentives.

During the sentencing hearing, which started on Monday, the court heard how there was a clear hierarchy within the illicit drugs network.

Anthony Cullen ran the organised crime group and employed 19 men, who flooded the streets with class A drugs.

A dealers’ list discovered by police noted how there was a ‘wage bill’ for employees of £50,000 per month.

A text conversation between Christopher Potter and another man on April 20, 2017, also suggested that there was a structure to the employment within the drugs gang.

After trust had been built up, members would be provided with accommodation and a higher wage.

The dealers’ list seized in February 2017 reveals monthly ‘overheads’ of around £56,200 as well as a profit forecast of £281,000 for January and £290,955 for February.

To keep their dealings under the radar, Cullen and the gang dealt with cash-only transactions and did not use bank accounts.

Instead they made written notes for budgeting and kept a record of who owed them money – known as tick lists.

This included details of large transactions, debts and overheads as well as an outline of wages and rent money provided to their associates.

Warrington Guardian:

PICTURED: Tick list seized by police 

In a text message from Josh Mercer, he tells his girlfriend that he will receive a weekly wage of £300 and ‘eventually £10k every three months’ in cash.

Detective chief inspector Mike Evans said: “Today an influential and established organised crime group – one of the biggest in Cheshire – has been brought to justice after their criminal enterprise was dismantled.

“Their activity centred on wealth, intimidation and instilling fear into the local community. Cullen ruled the roost and gave out orders.

"He was clever and made sure he was one step removed from his crimes yet dealt with those who got in his way.

“The money they made from drug dealing was huge but it came with many risks and dangers as their attention turned to the use of firearms and ammunition. The cache seizure we recovered is the largest we have ever had in Cheshire.

"It is rare to recover a gun in our county but to seize six in one address is unheard of."

But class A drugs were not the only source of income for the group.

The group ran a side-line business supplying kilo quantities of cannabis.

The February dealers’ list documents £45,980 owed for cannabis, which indicates that the gang that month had sold 9kg of cannabis skunk at £5,000 per kilo.

The police executed a search warrant at the cannabis factory in Wigan on September 14, 2017.

Once inside, officers discovered a hidden self-built room which contained two growing zones with 29 plants in one zone and 30 in the other.

The plants were around two to three weeks away from being cropped and it is believed the plants had the capacity to crop three times per year.